India joins global race to develop AI models

India is accelerating its efforts to catch up with global artificial intelligence (AI) players by supporting researchers and private companies in the country to develop foundational models based on local needs.

- Debarshi Dasgupta

Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Jan 30 that six Indian entities have already shown progress and could release their foundational models by the end of 2025.

"The foundational models made in India will be able to compete with the best of the best in the world," he claimed, detailing the government's plans to support these initiatives, including through allocation of computing resources and funding.

India's entry into this race comes at a time of intense rivalry between China and the US, which have allocated billions of dollars in their battle for AI leadership and are creating foundational models that are at the core of AI-driven solutions.

Known for their adaptability, these models are large artificial neural networks trained on vast amounts of data and are designed to handle a wide variety of applications, ranging from translating text to writing scientific papers.

Mr Vaishnaw added that the government has already secured 18,693 graphics processing units (GPUs) necessary to power AI research and development, exceeding its initial target of 10,000 GPUs under its IndiaAI Mission for the financial year ending March 2025.

The government is expected to soon launch a portal allowing start-ups and researchers to access this computing power at prices lower than global benchmark rates.

The Indian minister's remarks came days after DeepSeek, a subsidiary of Chinese AI-driven trading company High-Flyer, released its disruptive open-source DeepSeek-R1 model, built at a reported cost of US$6 million (S$8.1 million).